The
firststeam train was allegedly
invented in 1797.Trains are a mode
of transportation, for reaching faraway places, for relaxation and enjoyment,
for reaching new and old places, simply for getting from one place to another.They are for commercial use, for people use, fortransporting large equipment, and for reaching some otherwise unreachable
places.When we think about these
vehicles we think about the “whooh, whooh” sounds that emanate from the
engines as they announce their approach.It
reminds us of some joyful journeys that we enjoyed as children as we sat cuddled
up to our parents, frequently enjoying some food that Mom prepared and
unwrapped.We remember the man with
the uniform and the hat that we called the conductor, who answered our questions
as he collected our tickets. Wego
tothe food bar where we get a
beverage or other comfort food.We
walk from one long “car” to another.We
need not sit still or cramped like we might in another mode of transportation.

Those
folks who were children during the days when airplanes were not as common as
they are today for modes of transportation, or those who prefer the leisurely
way of train travel, appreciate what trains can do for us.

There
are the cattle trains where animals were hauled from one place to another. This
was a way that masses of animals could be transported together and the costs
were less than hauling these creatures in less spacious forms of vehicles.

There
are countries that have various types of trains as well as how punctual their
trains are.Our American trains,
especially in some parts of our land, are often not on schedule. This makes it
difficult for travelers to count on “take off” or arrival at a designated
destination.In Germany the trains
are always on time.They are not
even minutes late.They can be
counted on, which makes it easier to reach destinations in a timely fashion.

For
those ofwho remember the 1940’s,
either because they were children, were holocaust survivors, escapees from
Hitler, terrorists and mass murderers remember the cattle trains with horror.Their memories and thoughts are of masses of humanity, Jewish people
being herded into the cattle trains with Nazis taking their last possessions
which they had clutched in their hands.They were beaten with rifles and other instruments of torture as they
painfully stepped into the death chambers called trains.They could not move, once inside the putrid smelling “cars,” as one
body was pressed against another.They
could not relieve themselves, as they attempted to hold their urine and feces as
long as they could, as the smell of their excretions permeated the train, and as
some of these innocent people collapsed on the other human beings that were
their “travel companions.”

Let
us use trains only for the good of people, as modes of transportation, as
vehicles of moving goods from one place to another.

Lehitraot.

Dr. Ursula A. Falk is a psychotherapist
in private practice and the author of several
books and articles.